The municipality of Lasithi Plateau has declared a state of emergency after heavy rain flooded roads and caused major damage in several parts of Crete. The plateau's farmland turned into a lake, properties were buried in mud, and drone footage captured the damage.
Rain at Xyloskalo, in Chania, reached 420mm, according to data from the automatic weather station network of the National Observatory of Athens. One millimetre of rain equals one litre of water per square metre, or one tonne per 1,000 square metres.
At 11:55, people in the municipality of Mylopotamos got a 112 alert telling them to limit their movement, and some were moved to higher ground as a precaution. Further alerts followed at 14:27 for the Amari area in Rethymno and at 15:03 for the wider Ierapetra region.
In Zoniana, roads turned into rivers, and mud and debris damaged homes and infrastructure. The worst problem is the river, whose banks have burst in many places. Residents had already been warned the day before, around noon, to leave their homes.
In Amari, wave after wave of heavy rain damaged roads, triggered landslides and left roads covered in water and debris, making some stretches impossible to drive. In the villages of Fourfouras, Platania and Vistagi, roads turned into raging torrents full of rocks and earth, and landslides were also reported.
Heraklion has also suffered major damage. Farmers in the Profitis Ilias area say they are devastated after the water swept everything away.
At Agia Fotia bay near Ierapetra, port authorities rescued four people after roads became impassable because of the floods. They were picked up by boat and taken to the port of Makry Gialos, unharmed, the port authority said.
Fire crews and civil protection teams are on high alert. The army was asked for extra equipment and responded straight away, sending help to upper Mylopotamos and Amari.
An orange warning remains in force for Crete until Sunday morning, with rain expected to ease from midday and into the afternoon, according to the latest emergency bulletin from Greece's National Meteorological Service. On Sunday, northerly winds of force 5-6 are expected, reaching force 7 at times in the morning, with gusts of 70-80 km/h, before gradually easing, the National Observatory of Athens forecasts.